Zemanek-Münster

Zoomorphic mask "nwenka"

Burkina Faso, Bobo
sold EUR 450
Provenance
Gerd Hanebeck, Wuppertal, Germany
Size
H: 98 cm
H: 38.6 inch

Description

wood, rep.

The “nwenka” mask is one of the oldest and most sacred wooden masks that perform at Bobo masquerades. Tradition claims it dated from the time of creation when “wuro”, the Creator God, molded the world from moist clay and made creatures to inhabit it. The “nwenka” masked dance imitates “wuro’s” creating the world.


Comparing literature

Roy, Christopher, Art of the Upper Volta Rivers, Paris 1987, p. 329

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